What measures have been put in place to stop it happening in the future?
Since the Bhopal chemical disaster in 1984, the Indian government has been taking safety measures to prevent this happening ever again. The factory was closed down in 1985 to prevent another leakage. The site was leaned up under the direction of the state and central government. All pipes were cleaned out and sold off to more suitable sites. Union Carbide promised to donate $470 million. Only a small amount of money was paid to survivors, and the rest was all for cleaning up the damage. Union Carbide was also placed into better hands and was sold off to 'Dow Chemical'. Union Carbide also failed to appear at court cases.
Although these safety precautions have taken place, authorities say that they are still not happy that the factory is in the heart of the city, and they believe it should be cleaned more thoroughly, because they say that tonnes of toxic gas still remain in the factory that have been left untouched and it is very unsafe to the people who still live near and around the factory. The leakage has already created decades of slow poisoning. The leakage has contaminated soil, and if people plant fruit and vegetables in to the soil, the toxic waste may leak in to the food that they eat. It is also estimated 20,000 people have died since the disaster happened due to gas-related diseases.
Since the Bhopal chemical disaster in 1984, the Indian government has been taking safety measures to prevent this happening ever again. The factory was closed down in 1985 to prevent another leakage. The site was leaned up under the direction of the state and central government. All pipes were cleaned out and sold off to more suitable sites. Union Carbide promised to donate $470 million. Only a small amount of money was paid to survivors, and the rest was all for cleaning up the damage. Union Carbide was also placed into better hands and was sold off to 'Dow Chemical'. Union Carbide also failed to appear at court cases.
Although these safety precautions have taken place, authorities say that they are still not happy that the factory is in the heart of the city, and they believe it should be cleaned more thoroughly, because they say that tonnes of toxic gas still remain in the factory that have been left untouched and it is very unsafe to the people who still live near and around the factory. The leakage has already created decades of slow poisoning. The leakage has contaminated soil, and if people plant fruit and vegetables in to the soil, the toxic waste may leak in to the food that they eat. It is also estimated 20,000 people have died since the disaster happened due to gas-related diseases.
A map of Bhopal, India